‘The Death of Free Speech’

In late October, a major European court ruled that punishing someone for defaming the Islamic figure Mohammed is not an infringement of free speech, a ruling that one expert says amounts to a slippery slope that end in “the death of free speech.”

Last month, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) upheld a 2011 conviction of “Mrs. S” after she held two seminars in Austria called “Basic Information on Islam.” In the seminars, “Mrs. S” referred to Mohammed marrying a girl when she was six years old and consummating the marriage when she was nine.

In upholding the earlier conviction, which resulted in the equivalent of a $547 fine, the ECHR said it “found in particular that the domestic courts comprehensively assessed the wider context of the applicant’s statements and carefully balanced her right to freedom of expression with the right of others to have their religious feelings protected, and served the legitimate aim of preserving religious peace in Austria.”

“Mrs. S” is really Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, who is directly linked to the largest grassroots national security organization in the U.S.

“The ‘Mrs. S’ who the case was about is our chapter leader, ACT for America’s chapter leader, in Vienna. She heads up our international ACT for Austria,” said ACT for America President Brigitte Gabriel. She is also the author of the new book, “Rise: In Defense of Judeo-Christian Values and Freedom.”

She says the impact of this decision will be profound.

“What have seen in Europe basically is the death of free speech and it is coming here,” said Gabriel.

She says the United Nations is already pushing a similar resolution to criminalize anti-Islam speech through a resolution sponsored by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

And Gabriel says there is a direct link between Europe’s abandonment of Judeo-Christian values and the whittling away of fundamental freedoms.

“We are seeing the erosion of our Judeo-Christian values and freedoms, which are the bedrock of western civilization. This is exactly what made western civilization great. The fact that we are able to come together and debate ideas and walk away respecting each other, but able to learn from each other after a vigorous debate of ideas,” said Gabriel.

Listen to the full podcast as Gabriel explains how the erosion of values and freedom happened in Europe and why the U.S. will be the last line of defense in this fight.